


10 Peacocks and a Potion

by Ahyesausername



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Draco Malfoy-centric, Fluff, Humor, M/M, OC owls - Freeform, OC peacocks - Freeform, POV Draco Malfoy, POV Harry Potter, Potioneer Draco Malfoy, Potions Master Draco Malfoy, Slow Burn, Smart Draco Malfoy, kind of, slight angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:13:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28555941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ahyesausername/pseuds/Ahyesausername
Summary: After the war Draco cuts off all his connection with the wizarding world however instead of moving to Muggle London he instead moves to a glorified one room shed with the 10 peacocks from the now destroyed Malfoy Manor. He leads a peaceful life making potions and selling them under an anonymous alias...until Harry Potter crashes into his life and brings back everything he wanted to forget.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy & Blaise Zabini, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood & Draco Malfoy
Comments: 20
Kudos: 92





	1. Chapter 1

It was a calm morning when the first letter arrived. Of course it wasn’t easy to receive a letter while there were 8 peacocks trying to do the same, Cassiopeia and Cepheus (they were named after constellations meaning Queen and King, once again he felt the names were quite spot on) had not joined the others in this beautiful morning’s “Let’s all make Draco’s life harder.” shenanigans as they were the oldest and wisest of the peacocks. Even the one legged Apus (as in the constellation of the bird of paradise which also meant “no feet” in Greek, was another little pun he found quite humorous and tasteful, though he sometimes questioned the paradise part when he had to clean the aforementioned bird after playing in the dirt all day) had joined them and was actually flying quite high while also terrorizing the poor owl. When the owl finally gave up on giving the letter to Draco and dropped it, he had to take the letter from Vulpecula (the constellation of Fox and every time something like this happened he felt more proud with himself to have given him the name of the most trickster animal of them all, while also asking himself if he had jinxed the fates by giving him this name) after running after him for a while.

Sometimes he wondered, what would his mother say to him about giving all of these traditional constellation names the Black’s seemed to favor, to the peacocks instead of saving them for his future offsprings. But then he remembered she wasn’t there anymore, not in the Manor or even in Azkaban she was in a place very far away, a place he sometimes thought to visit but then dismissed those thoughts harshly. 

When he looked at the sender he realized it wasn’t the shop (what was its name again? Ah yes, Agatorn’s Cure-all Potions) which usually ordered his potions in bulk (he was proud of himself for establishing this kind of business in quite a short time after the war but his success didn’t only lie in his superb potions but also because he sold them for a lot cheaper price than most others, as he didn’t have to buy most of his ingredients because he either collected them from the near forest or grew some of them himself), no it seemed to be a special order from somewhere called Grimmauld Place No 12. Draco did take special orders for individual potions, like the Wolfsbane however he also made his  _ own _ potions as in potions that didn’t exist before and thus he took requests to challenge himself to see if he could find something new and never done before. 

_ Mr Leo Minor, _ (he had decided to choose his alias from the same family of constellations his own name belonged, Ursa Major. He also found it quite clever to choose Lion as no one would guess that he, a former Slytherin, would even consider to be associated with any lions at all)  _ I write to you in the hopes that you could create a potion that would help me greatly and would put me in your debt for a lifetime, as it is quite important to me and also quite hard as even Hermione Granger (one of my closest friends)  _ (and a name Draco hadn’t heard of for quite sometime) _ couldn’t help me and she is considered to be one of the brightest witches of all time and I remember she always got the highest marks on any subject while we were in Hogwarts. Anyway, to come to the main point I require a potion that is essentially Dreamless Sleep Potion, however after using it I never feel well rested and if I don’t use it I have nightmares all night long, so my request is a potion that would allow me to dream and rest while also banishing nightmares. Thank you in advance. _

_ Harry Potter _

Aside from the shop he sold his potions to, there were only two other people aware of his alias and what he does; one of them was his former classmate Blaise Zabini, he had helped Draco create a link between a certain customer base needing special potions just like, once again, Wolfsbane but also people who had allergies, thus couldn’t take certain potions and needed alternatives, the other was Luna Lovegood. After the war they had started to talk and come to an understanding on a deep level (as in, you were held prisoner in my house and I knew but couldn’t do anything because I couldn’t risk my or my family’s life and also I know it wasn’t actually you holding me prisoner and I believe you were as much of a prisoner in that house as me). She had helped him find his new home and also carry some of the, at the time younger peacocks, while his own arms were filled with all of the trunks and at the time nameless and newly one legged Apus. He had faith in both of them that they would never give out his real identity but still he knew which one of them had suggested Draco to the Savior Potter. 

Now, he could have just sent an apology letter stating that he was  _ oh so busy or that what he was asking was impossible yada yada _ , but the thing is...he didn’t know if it was impossible. He wanted to try, and do the undone. It certainly wasn’t because of his one-sided rivalry with Granger when they were in Hogwarts, no it wasn’t. Stop looking at me like that Camelopardalis (as in Giraffe, for he had the longest tail out of all of them), I told you it wasn’t. 

The reason why it was  _ supposedly _ impossible was because of the risks it had. The idea of banishing nightmares was the tricky part because if one disturbed the actual unconscious side of the brain they could damage it permanently or even render the potion taker to an eternal coma of happy dreams _.  _ Dreamless Sleep Potion was dreamless because of it, however that’s why it was for the general public, for everyone. Now, what could be the alternative? What other potion dealt with the inner workings of one’s brain? Or rather it didn’t necessarily have to be a potion… Right then an idea flashed in his mind. If Draco could make a potion that was quiet like a Pensieve he could show the same couple of happy memories as dreams without actually playing with the brain’s subconscious. However, once again he would have to make a limit to the times the dreams are played instead of it being a loop of, once again, eternal happiness or on another note the person would wake up as soon as the memory was over. First he had to order a Pensieve, thankfully Luna was due to a visit soon and he hoped she could bring him one. But for now without the Pensieve he had to create some happy memories for later use, guess he could take a walk around the forest with the peacocks for a while. Of course he could write to Potter and ask for some of his memories that he would like to see every night, but that could wait after he tested his theories by himself first.

When he finally finished writing to Luna and gave the letter to one of his two personal owls; Rastaban (which was a star and one of the eyes in the Draco constellation. His other owl Eltanin was named after the other eye of the dragon. He had bought them after the war, one to send letters to his father in Azkaban, as the inmates were now allowed letters after the head guard had read them, due to Voldemort using the Dementors against the light side during the war the government had stopped using them as guards, locking all of them in an abandoned island, and the other for his mother in the Manor. Of course that was before the accident...) he walked outside to take a walk in the forest and also collect some of the herbs he was low on. When he asked the peacocks if they wanted to come with him, (and don’t judge him, he has no one to talk to most of the year and if he doesn’t use his voice at least once in a while he might forget how to use it at all! Also all of them were quite clever and Draco was suspicious that Cassiopeia could read for the few times she had come with him to the forest she had brought some of the herbs he needed without him even showing a picture of it. Later, he had found his list on the ground.) only Hydra and Serpens (this brother and sister couple were named after the water serpent and the serpent, it wasn’t because they were the most Slytherin ones, though he did see them steal food from the others without them noticing, it was far more simple and mostly was because of their mother) decided to join him and of course when these two were going somewhere Ophiuchus (meaning the serpent holder, was actually their mother however when he had named her Draco wasn’t aware that she had daughters. After a quick bloodline spell, though he was skeptical it would work on peacocks, the truth was revealed and the serpent holder got her serpents) had to follow. 

~~~~~~~~~~

The next day Rastaban returned with a letter from Luna, stating that she would bring the Pensieve on Thursday (it was Tuesday right now) and also she wanted to see if he had gotten Harry’s letter. After scribbling a quick thank you and also, yes I did get Potter’s letter I’ll tell you all about my plans on Thursday, (and by the way shouldn’t he also send a letter to Potter? To say that he did accept the job and he is starting right now but the costs may be a lot more expensive than other regular potions, as he was literally going to do the impossible. Yes, he should tell Potter, however it would be later, after he got the Pensieve.) this time he sent Eltanin, as Rastaban was due to a vacation for his hard work in these two days.

Draco thought he could use the memory of him walking through the forest for 2 hours in his first tests. In theory he would have to make the memory from first person view instead of the usual Pensieve memories which showed everything as an onlooker, to further create the dream effect but also to protect his secret identity (wouldn’t it be quite comical if he sent Potter a practice batch and Potter had to sleep through Draco having conversations with his peacocks). And also different from a Pensieve memory the sleep shouldn’t end once the memory is over. On the other hand, he could have a memory of walking and doing the laundry and dishes for eight hours. Once he gets the Pensieve he could test both of his theories. However, wouldn’t looking into a memory be same even when you are awake? Yes, to actually get rest he had to look into the sleep portion of the Dreamless Sleep Potion and also the Sleeping Draught. Both of them were fairly simple potions (for him) however the problem began with connecting sleep and rest with the Pensieve memories, guess he had some serious work in front of him. Time to collect some more lavender I guess. 


	2. Chapter 2

When the second letter from Luna arrived, Draco was devastated. Because of a sudden issue amongst the Quibbler crew and a few unemployments, Luna’s hands were filled with mountains of work. Now that Luna’s father had retired Luna was the new head of the Quibbler magazine. After the war (and some might say due to Harry Potter’s promotion) the Quibbler had gained a lot of new followers and thus grew rapidly in such a short time. 

Now that Eltanin had returned, he would send Rastaban to Potter to give him a notice on what was happening right now and also that he did accept the job.

_ Mr Potter,  _

_ I decided to work on this special potion however I would like you to know that it will be a lot more expensive than regular potions. I can’t say how expensive it will be quite yet as I don’t know it myself. This potion will also take a longer time due to unforeseen circumstances of acquiring the needed tools and ingredients. Thank you for your patience and time.  _

_ Leo Minor _

After sending Rastaban away with the letter Draco was back to planning. It seemed like he either had to go to Diagon Alley himself and purchase a very expensive Pensieve after nobody had seen him for the past 4 years or (and one might even consider it quite crazy to even try) he could make his own Pensieve. Many pensieves were made out of carved stones and in the end it didn’t matter which type you used because the main point was the runes carved on said stone and also the channeling gems fitted amongst them. Even though Draco did take the Ancient Runes class in Hogwarts (and was quite good in basic Runology) it wasn’t his strongest point like potions was. Of course if it was that easy everyone would be making their own Pensieves left and right. The hard thing in runes was that even one tiny mistake in placement could ruin the whole thing (this, he found quite similar to potions) but it wasn’t simply the placement or order of the runes, it was infusing it with one’s own magic while carving it (and this was excluding the expensive pure crystals one needed). And different formations of runes could mean completely different things. To explain it simply, when A is next to B let’s say they mean Love, but when A is next to C it might mean Hate and finally when B is next to C it could simply mean Fish. In the end, he had to think of an alternative. He could ask Blaise to bring him a Pensieve but Blaise was in Japan for the next couple of months and he didn’t want to disturb Blaise’s business. He could ask Luna again but he knew she would also be quite busy with the new team and Quibbler. 

The next day Rastaban came back with a new letter (and possibly his salvation to the problem at hand). 

_ Mr Leo Minor, _

_ I was very happy to hear that you accepted my request and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If it would fasten the process of you creating the potion I can help you acquire some of the needed materials. Please let me know. _

_ Harry Potter  _

Could this work? Should he ask Potter for the Pensieve? Of course he would pay him but the tricky part was never the money (he had inherited almost all of the Malfoy heirlooms and heritage, though they did pay a large sum as debt for their crimes and even after taking all that money his father was still in Azkaban for life), it was the transportation. If Potter could just leave the Pensieve (as he already knew his address from the letters but not the fact that said address belonged to Draco Malfoy) when Draco was away in the forest, wouldn’t that just work? It would, it definitely would. He could leave Vulpecula and Virgo (meaning the young maiden as she was the youngest female in the herd) as guards, as they were the most territorial and strongest out of all of them. He would however take Apus and the others with him to the forest, no matter who it was (and it didn’t matter even if it was the savior of the wizarding world who knew if he liked or at least tolerated peacocks or not) he couldn’t trust them with his only family. But first he had to write a response.

_ Mr Potter, _

_ I would like to accept your gracious offer. I will of course compensate you for the said materials. Due to personal reasons I cannot transport these materials myself, thus all I need from you is to transport the materials to the address on the letters. I would like it if you could send an owl before your visit so that I can prepare. I will list the items I need below. Thank you very much.  _

    * _1 stone Pensieve (the best you could buy, I promise to pay you the exact amount back)_
    * _2 large pure copper plates_
    * _3 vials of Flobberworm mucus_
    * _2 bars of pure silver_




_ Leo Minor _

After writing the letter he gave it to Eltanin and watched the large owl fly away. Now it was time to prepare. Draco had thought of the possibility of having to move away if he ever got discovered so he had prepared a second cottage on the other edge of the forest. First he would wait for a reply from Potter and then he would move the peacocks to the other cottage. When Potter comes and sees it empty except for two peacocks he would probably leave and then Draco could send another letter and act like, oops I was busy in the forest so sorry I didn’t see you but thanks for the materials I will send the money now. 

After concluding the final plan in his head, he turned to the peacocks “Vulpecula and Virgo I need to tell you something.” The two white peacocks stared at him. “I want you two to guard this home to the best of your abilities HOWEVER! I don’t want either of you to get hurt. If things go wrong and someone attacks you, run to the forest and call for me okay?” The two birds nodded. “The rest of you are coming with me. We will move to the second house in the next few days, it won’t take long, however because I can’t Apparate with all of you at the same time and going back and forth would tax my magic reserves we will go through the forest. Pavo (was named after the constellation of Peacock and he was the only blue one in the herd, and even though Draco didn’t want to admit...he was an airhead), I trust you to not get lost this time.” Last time they were in the forest just the two of them Pavo had gotten lost following a butterfly while Draco was collecting herbs, thus he was no longer allowed into the forest by himself. 

In their next few letters they arrange the transportation date and final place. Finally Draco and the 8 peacocks temporarily move to the other cabin, leaving Virgo and Vulpecula behind. Of course Draco still Apparated twice a day to check both of them and if the final letter from Potter had arrived. On the third day, as soon as he Apparates Virgo brings him the long awaited letter, stating that Potter departed from Magical London and will be there in roughly 5 hours (as he can’t Apparate with the Pensieve and thus has to use manual ways of transport). Draco nodded to the peacocks awaiting their unknown guest and Apparated for the last time that day, to the other cottage. He trusted them to protect both their family and themselves, and they knew that he trusted them. 

~~~~~~~~~~

When Harry finally reached the clearing it was already 4 in the afternoon and for the third (tenth) time that day he cursed himself for accepting (suggesting) the Potion Master’s offer (it was him that offered it, so stop denying it). Hermione had been skeptical about this “mysterious and unknown” Potion Master but he trusted Luna and her judgement of character (and she had said he was a close friend). Harry imagined he was a really old man, just like Dumbledore but a little more crazy, and maybe he hated crowds or people, who knew. Or maybe he was like Hagrid, he too lived on the edge of a forest, caring for the wild animals and magical creatures. 

The clearing was similar to any other large grassland, now all he had to do was find the forest and the little cottage next to it (easier said than done, especially while carrying a large Pensieve). 

When Harry finally saw the small cottage he could cry tears of joy, but of course he didn’t...not really...not at all. Stop looking at him like that he didn’t! Fine, he did. But just a teeny tiny little bit! And there was nothing to be ashamed in crying, his therapist (or Mind Healer in other words) had said so (but she had also said that he “needed” another and healthier hobby than just taking care of his godson, which Harry thought was unnecessary as he was quite happy spending everyday with him). And true, there wasn’t. 

The cottage was empty, except for the two peacocks he saw walk around it. They had both stared (glared) at him as soon as they saw him and they hadn’t allowed him to get near the door at all. Harry assumed they were the bodyguards (and he was also glad to know that this mysterious man was more similar to Hagrid than Dumbledore, as he had already lived through one long set of riddles and missions, no thank you he had enough). He tried to get past the peacocks twice and soon gave up (also the way the smaller one stared at him made him feel like it was seeing his deepest darkest secrets and he wasn’t going to mess with it). He wasn’t going to exhaust himself even more than he had already done, so he simply left a note stating that;

_ Mr Leo Minor,  _

_ As you can see I have left the Pensieve and the other ingredients next to the door (your bodyguards didn’t let me inside but that only means that they are very strong and competent bodyguards!) I imagine you are in the forest collecting herbs/other ingredients as you have mentioned in your previous letter that that might happen. I left the price tag on everything as you may have thought I was exaggerating some of the numbers (who knew Pensieves were this expensive?). I would have liked to stay and greet you personally however I’m already late to an early appointment with my godson. Goodbye until next time. _

_ Harry Potter _

~~~~~~~~~~

When Draco returned from collecting: more lavender, valerian and also other common herbs to create a mixture it was already sundown. After leaving everything on the table he decided to Apparate to check on Virgo and Vulpecula and he was glad to see them unharmed, they were both sleeping next to the newly arrived Pensieve. He quickly carried everything inside and for now decided against reading the note (he could do it later, it's not like the note would disappear or run away) and took Virgo slowly into his arms, to not wake the bird and Apparated. After Apparating both of them and leaving them next to the rest of the sleeping herd he returned back to his worktable. First, he put a small Sunstone into the bag of undried mixture of herbs, the stone would help strengthen their energy for 3 days and then he would leave them to dry. After this he moved onto the valerian and lavender, putting them separately in two glass jars and sealing them with magic to keep them fresh. With a last look out the window into the dead still night he decided to go to bed.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, once again, was spent with a long walk through the forest. Now that Vulpecula and Virgo had joined them it seemed to take a lot longer while also being more fun than the first time (Draco would later regret these thoughts when Pavo threw a giant and slimy worm at his hair because Vulpecula scared him). 

This time, without the shackles of limited time Draco hadn’t brought the heavy materials. Instead he would Apparate one last time to the second cottage (now named Loud cottage, due to the majority of loud forest creatures on that side of the forest) to get his few trunks and jars. 

Later when he was bringing the Pensieve inside he noticed the price tag and might have had a slight shock, however after assessing the whole thing he decided that, though somewhat pricey it was still worth that price. After reading the note and checking the prices of other materials he quickly gathered a few hundred galleons and wrote a quick; thank you for bringing these materials. I will inform you when there is a new development with the potion and I put the money in the envelope and sent it with Rastaban.

Tomorrow he would actually start working.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dont know how to cancel the first note :(


	3. Chapter 3

Draco had decided to brew the potion itself inside the Pensieve. However before preparing the potion first, he had to prepare the Pensieve. The Pensieve Potter had bought wasn’t bad, on the contrary it was masterfully made, but it wasn’t enough. To simply describe, a Pensieve was a wide and shallow dish made out of metal or stone, engraved with runes and inlaid with precious stones. And just like every herb each stone had its own power and usage. This Pensieve in front of him was for more of a general audience (even though that audience itself was scarce as nowadays people hardly used Pensieves) and though the runes (they had to and even if they didn’t Draco didn’t know that much Runology) would suffice the gems would not. The Pensieve had one set of (each set consisting of six) Amethysts, another set of Opals embedded in it, all of them lining up along the Pensieve’s stone frame as intervals between the runes. As Draco had mentioned before, each crystal or stone had its purpose and power, even though using the same generic stone wouldn’t mess up the spell or potion to do something never done before he needed all the magical support he could get. Thus he would replace the stones with ones that had more specific and special purpose, even though most of them shared powers because they were all different stones it would help bring in more different magic. Because two Amethysts doing the same thing was less powerful than an Opal and an Amethyst. 

His plan was this: First, he would take out all of the stones already embedded in the Pensive without ruining any of the runes. Second, instead of the set of Amethysts he would first do the memory fueling or inducing stones (Yellow Calcite, Sapphire & Quartz) to enhance the power and consistency of the Pensieve memories he would use, along with the nightmare banishers (Emerald, Chalcedony & Malachite) to ensure that the nightmares would be gone for good. Later he would use 4 stones to ease sorrow, fear, grief and trauma (Jasper, Staurolite, Pink Quartz & Jet) and 2 to calm the mind and create a joyful atmosphere (Alexandrite & Citrine). He would attach them to the Pensieve using pure silver, as any stone set in silver would be amplified and its energy more easily directed. Lastly, he would change the iron plate inside the dish with a pure copper one because copper was known to give balance (he hoped it would at least balance the energies from the stones, if not the whole potion). 

It took a full day (let’s say half, because he actually started working on it after a full hour for breakfast and had given multiple breaks, each one longer than the last) for him to take out all the previous stones (and he kept cursing Potter the whole time, for he didn’t know the name of the creator) and it seemed like the creator had worked real hard on embedding each stone, Draco could only hope the creator had worked as hard as this on the runes as well.

When he had finally finished working on the Pensieve it had already been 3 days since he had started. While working on the Pensieve, he had also dried the mixed herbs and prepared the memories he would use along with a backup plan if he got stuck inside the memories while testing the potion. Now he was starting another hard and tiring part of the plan: showing the memories from first person. Seeing the memories from one’s own point of view would trick the brain into believing that this was a dream. And just as one could forget their dream as soon as they woke up, maybe this would happen to the memories as well but that’s why Draco was supposed to try and test everything. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Admittedly he wasn’t expecting to use his backup plan as soon as on the first try. He was successful in changing the Pensieve memory’s view by adding dried and crushed Calea Zacatechichi (also known as Dream Herb, used for causing lucid dreams) and stirring the pot three times counter clockwise. Just as he intended the lucid dream effect had taken over the memory and made it first person point of view, however it had kind of imprisoned him inside the dream. Which had set off his backup plan...After the list incident he might have taught Cassiopeia how to hold chalk and write while repeating the words over and over again, however while doing so he had realized Serpens’ amazing ability to mimic sounds, so as his backup plan he had created a charm activated by the tap of his wand on his forehead and a verbal command (even though they had discovered Serpens could mimic sounds, still there wasn’t hundreds of things she could say, so now the word that would evoke the charm was, sadly,  _ worm _ ) that would send a giant peacock inside the dream, alerting Draco that it was a dream and he would counter the dream. Now, while Hydra was holding his wand between his beak and tapping (hitting) Draco on the forehead with his wand, while also sitting on Draco’s chest and slowly killing him with his heaviness, Serpens was sitting next to his head screaming “WORM” over and over again. But the point wasn’t his scarred brain that would show him nightmares of this moment for years, no the important thing was that his charm and backup plan had worked! Which also meant that he could finally move onto more dangerous stuff and use the Pensieve to brew the potion.

He would start with two basic tests: One, would be to put the memories first and then add the sleeping potion’s ingredients. Second, he would add the memories after finishing the sleeping potion. If either of these two didn’t work, then he would move onto more complex and fine detail work like, adding the memories little by little in the middle of the potion or in different amounts. But first, the two tests.

~~~~~~~~~~

Sadly (and just as he feared), both of his initial tests failed. Adding the potion after the memories hadn’t done anything, it was still memories. Putting the memories after the potion had also not worked, it was simply a sleeping potion. While working on these tests he had finished all his Valerian and he needed more Mugwort along with Juniper berries. Guess a new trip to the forest was on horizon. 

Okay, once again, admittedly his short trip to the forest could have actually been...short. But it wasn’t his fault that suddenly Ophiuchus had decided that he shouldn’t leave. She had stood in front of the door, blocking him everytime he attempted to go outside, screeching in a way that Draco had never heard from her. And of course he was worried, how could he not be, he examined her to see if she was hurt anywhere and after he couldn’t find anything he had examined Hydra and Serpens and they were also as healthy as they could be. In the end Draco couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary and this time when he attempted to go outside it had already become late afternoon and he had to be fast if he wanted to gather everything today and even then he could only start to work on the potion tomorrow, as it would be very late when he finally returned from the forest.

~~~~~~~~~~

In his fifth try, he finally solved the problem of how and when to add the memories into the potion (and it seemed quite simple and easy now that he realized). Just like he had done with the stones using odd numbers of drops or multiples of three would help stabilize the memories as it would be enhanced by the energies of the stones. 

He first started with the dried herbs, adding them little by little while stirring the pot (in this case the Pensieve) counterclockwise slowly. After making sure that all of the herbs had dissolved he added one drop of the memories. While continuing to stir counterclockwise he added the valerian sprigs, once again when it dissolved into the potion he added three drops of the memories. He followed this pattern of slowly stirring counterclockwise and adding ingredients after putting in the drops of memories. In the last step he added 81 drops of the memories and after stirring it nine times he left the potion to simmer down. Tomorrow he would test it on himself and hopefully this time it would be finished. 

~~~~~~~~~~

The long awaited letter arrived on a quiet Sunday morning.

_ Mr Potter, _

_ In the vials you’ll find inside the envelope is the first batch of the final finished potion I made. Now before you take it let me explain it’s inner workings so that you understand what you’re going to be drinking. The potion will take you into a deep and calm sleep just like the Dreamless Sleep Potion would do, however instead of having a long dreamless sleep you will see Pensieve memories from your point of view, these would act as somewhat lucid dreams and will trick your brain and body into actually resting. These memories are from my daily life, so you might find them boring (they include washing the dishes, cleaning the cottage and collecting herbs in the forest) if the potion works and you get a full night’s sleep and rest I can change the memories to the ones you send me (a few memories of you feeling calm, relaxed or happy would suffice). In the off chance that you get stuck inside the dream there is a charm that will send an alarm into your head, to activate it someone has to simply tap your forehead with any wand and say “worm”, then a giant peacock will appear inside the dream and you can simply cast an awakening spell yourself. Thank you for your patience, I hope you get a good sleep. _

_ Leo Minor  _

_ Huh _ , thought Harry to himself.  _ What a weird charm _ (and what was with this guy and peacocks). Still he couldn’t wait to try the actual potion, but first he decided to tell Hermione and Ron about the charm if on the off chance he actually got stuck inside the dream. 

~~~~~~~~~~

“Harry, Harry you don’t understand this is genius!” exclaimed Hermione, right after reading the letter Leo Minor had sent Harry. “It seems so clear now, like of course you can use other memories as dreams! It’s such a simple but also very very complex solution. Like how did he brew the potion? How did he mixed the memories into the potion without them overwhelming other ingredients? It’s such a wild concept, I can’t...I don’t even know where to begin!”

“No ‘Moine I get it alright, this guy is a genius-” said Harry but was cut off.

“No, no you don’t understand Harry...How long did it take him to complete it you said?” Hermione asked. 

“Uhh I didn’t say but I guess it was like two months? One and a half months? Something like that.” Harry answered, scratching his head.

“Harry you might not realize it but that is quite quick for a potion that didn’t even exist before! That’s it, I need to meet him.” Hermione concluded with a small nod to herself. “What?! Why?” Ron asked incredulously.

“Use your brain Ron, think! This was such a wild concept, it was...it was unthinkable! And this...this man solved it, he did it. He did the unthinkable. Imagine...imagine what else he could do? I don’t...I don’t even know. That’s why I need to meet him. I need to talk to him, I have so much to ask oh my god should I write them down? Please, please arrange a meeting Harry.” 

“I mean I can try, but Hermione I still didn’t try the potion. What if it doesn’t work?” he asked.

“Yes, okay. You need to try it first but if it works I want you to arrange a meeting with him.” finalized Hermione. “Fine fine, geez.”

“It’s alright mate, we’ll set up an alarm and use the charm if you don’t wake up.” Ron said with an amused smile.

~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as Harry drank the potion he felt his body and mind relax and slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them once again he was in the clearing he had brought the Pensieve to. The slow wind felt nice on his face and hair, he gazed around and was shocked when he saw more than 2 peacocks. In the next moment he was running after the only blue peacock in the herd, “Pavo! Pavo what are you holding?” he heard a voice, a voice much younger than he expected, shout. “Worm!” shouted a white peacock behind him. “No, it’s not a worm! I can see it’s not a worm! Pavo, come back here! Is that my Dragon tooth knife?!” (Harry laughed inside his head at the enraged voice) right when he was going to catch the bloody bird another white peacock crashed into him, making him fall on his ass. “Apus! Are you in on this?” shouted the voice again while the bird looked at him innocently. But both the owner of the voice and Harry knew that it wasn’t innocent at all. “One day, I swear one day I’ll get rid of all of you.” grumbled the voice before standing up and running again. “Cam!” he shouted “If you help me catch Pavo I’ll give you those berries you like!” the long tailed peacock stared back at him. “Fine, fine I’ll add scorpions too.” the bird nodded and started to run after the blue one. Soon after Pavo was caught and the Dragon tooth knife was returned to its owner. “Where did you find the knife Pavo? Or rather, who gave it to you?” Pavo continued to stare at the ground guiltily. “If you tell me who it was now I won’t punish you just as harshly.” he turned his head to act as if he was looking at the others but in reality he was still watching Pavo from the corner of hi eye and that’s why he saw Pavo look at an older peacock for a brief moment. “You?!” the voice said, shocked. “Cepheus, how-No no, why?” he asked the elder peacock, because surely, surely he had a reason. Cepheus wouldn’t steal a knife, especially one as important as this (Harry didn’t know how or why but he felt it had sentimental value for the owner), for nothing. 

The elder bird stood up and started to walk after giving him a slight glance, as if to say “follow me”. Soon after both of them reached a large and old tree inside the forest and when Harry looked carefully, he realized the little red eyed tree frog stuck between a dent on the tree. “Ah I see...I hope you simply wanted to save it, Cepheus and not eat it. Well then my little friend, it’s time you best be on your way.” he said and carefully held the little frog before putting it on another branch. 

~~~~~~~~~~

When Harry woke up, exactly eight hours after he drank the potion, for the first time in a long while he felt actually well-rested and energetic. With the still fresh fragments of the dream he gave out a tiny chuckle in remembrance. After the dream and hearing one of the peacocks scream “worm” now Harry understood the odd little charm a bit better. 

He quickly sent a letter to Ron and Hermione, to assure them that the potion had worked and they didn’t need to use the charm. In a few hours, after both Ron and Hermione had awakened they had paid him a little visit to ensure his wakefulness and in Hermione’s case to check his health and see if there were any side effects to the potion. There were not. And soon he would use the second potion, he couldn’t wait to see what he would dream of now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how do I make the first note disappear from the other chapters?????


	4. Chapter 4

His second dream was more tame. When he opened his eyes he was hanging laundry to the thread between two long charmed sticks that hopped away from each other every time he needed more space on the thread. This time the voice was humming a small melody, Harry couldn’t figure out which song it was. The peacocks were either walking around or sitting (sleeping?) on the grass, everything seemed calm and relaxing. Harry wanted to lie down and enjoy the sun instead of hanging the laundry, but he couldn’t do anything but watch himself. 

After a while the soft humming turned into lyrics and finally Harry realized what the mysterious potion master was singing, Requiem. “Requiem aeternam dona eis...et lux perpetua luceat eis.” He was just singing the same part over and over again, Harry wondered if it had a special meaning.

The rest of the dream continued just as calm, after the laundry he had also done the dishes and shelved some herbs and other ingredients. While looking around the cottage’s first floor Harry realized that the Pensieve he had brought had different stones on it now. 

~~~~~~~~~~

With all the excitement and worry over the first potion Harry had forgotten his promise to Hermione, but now he remembered it again was going to ask the potion master for a meeting to thank him face to face and talk about the price and also whatever Hermione wanted to ask him.

_ Mr Leo Minor, _

_ I have only used two of the vials you’ve sent and I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for both completing the potion in such a short amount of time but also showing me such enjoyable dreams. If possible I’d like to talk about the issue of price and also thank you once again face to face. My close friend Hermione Granger would also like to meet you and ask some questions about the potion. Thank you for everything. _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Harry Potter _

~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, first of all to know that he had created something so great made Draco feel immensely proud of himself and secondly, to know that Granger had questions about it made him feel quite smug. But under no circumstances he would accept this meeting. So he wrote an overly apologetic (and completely insincere) letter stating that, oh how sad he was as he was leaving England for the next (hmm let’s say 4, yeah 4 is good) 4 months on an urgent business so they had to negotiate the price through the letters and maybe he would meet with this Miss Granger another time.

~~~~~~~~~~

The third dream was a lot more casual than the first two. The first was definitely a treat and the second was relaxing and calm but it also had a somber air to it, this one on the other hand seemed casual like it was the norm and they were simply living their everyday life. 

When Harry opened his eyes he found himself in the middle of a lush forest. One glance around him had assured him that he wasn’t alone, the long tailed (Cam he remembered) and the blue (Pavo) peacocks were also with him. “Now Pavo don’t go off on your own, you know what happened last time.” the voice warned (Harry wondered what had happened last time). “Pard, you know our deal.” he looked at the other one (Harry had thought its name was Cam?) and the bird nodded, then he returned to collecting herbs (Harry realized that Leo Minor’s hands seemed a lot more younger and smoother than he expected). Harry was content with spending time in the forest, at first it had reminded him of the Forbidden Forest but later he had realized this forest had a different air to it. 

The calm was suddenly disrupted with a loud screech. He quickly turned around and came across a scene he thought he would never forget for the rest of his life. The forest was on fire, though it was on the smaller scale, and there Pavo was screeching while flying in the middle of everything while Pard (Cam?) was all the way up on a tree, was he? Yes, he was throwing branches into the fire while also fanning the flames with its wings. 

“Camelopardalis!” he shouted and quickly cast an Aguamenti to put out the flames. When the forest was finally fire free he took Pavo into his arms and peppered little kisses on his head to calm him. “Let’s get you home you overgrown baby.” he turned to Pard, “We’ll have a serious talk when we return.” The rest of the walk was somewhat tense and silent, after calming down Pavo had fallen asleep in his arms. 

When they reached the cottage he left Pavo next to the other sleeping peacocks and he saw Pard waiting for him outside.  _ Well, he at least knows what he did was wrong _ , thought Harry. “Pard, you know what you did wrong right?” the bird nodded. “It’s never okay to set your brothers on fire, no matter how annoying they may be, is this clear?” Pard nodded again. “If you know all of this, want to explain why you did it?” Harry wondered how he would explain it. “Did he annoy you?” a little nod. “Did he stole your prey?” this time Pard shook his head. “Did he pull on your tail again?” another nod. “I see, I know how much you hate your tail touched or pulled and Pavo was wrong to do it, but you should have come to me instead of setting him on fire. I will talk with him tomorrow but next time come directly to me, okay?” Pard nodded again and gave out a happy sound. Harry kissed him on the top of his head before going inside.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next day Draco had talked with Pavo about respecting others’ wishes and boundaries. And he was glad that Pavo was apologetic towards Camelopardalis just as the other bird was apologetic towards him. Now that he thought about it, he needed to ask Cam how he lit the fire. 

“Can you show me how you lit the fire?” he had asked Pard, but he was waiting something like throwing a rock on another rock creating friction. What he did get though was much more amazing. After a little nod Pard had just looked at a piece of grass in front of them and it had simply caught fire. 

“Pard...don’t tell me, you can do magic?!” Camelopardalis gave a little shy nod. “Great Merlin! This is great! What else can you do Pard?” The bird shook his head hastily. “Nothing else? That’s alright! Even doing a little bit of magic is amazing for non-magical creatures.” Draco smiled at Pard before hugging the bird. It seemed like everyone had a little talent of their own. Be it Cassiopeia reading, Serpens speaking and Camelopardalis doing magic.

~~~~~~~~~~

This time too, Harry woke up feeling refreshed and happier than he normally felt. He would’ve never imagined even in his wildest dreams he would witness a peacock set another peacock on fire and feed the set fire with branches from the top of a tree. The fact that this wasn’t actually a dream but someone’s reality made it all the more funny and amazing. With each dream he was becoming more curious about Leo Minor. Nowadays he wished for the night to come quicker just to see what dream awaited him. 

He was disappointed when he got Minor’s letter, saying that he couldn’t meet with them but Harry supposed he had another jobs as well or maybe another urgent matter had come up. He sent another letter asking on how to negotiate the price and spent the rest of the day playing with Teddy (because of his increasing nightmares and tiredness that came with insomnia he couldn’t spend much time with Teddy). 

~~~~~~~~~~

The fourth dream was sad. Just like the second one it had a somber air to it, but it was heavier or rather felt heavier. This time Minor wasn’t singing or even doing anything, he was just standing in front of a bunch of stones placed on top of one another. 

Now Harry wasn’t dumb or an idiot, and he liked to think that he was quick to catch on things (though Hermione liked to disagree) however it had taken him a long time to understand that what he was seeing was a makeshift grave. Suddenly he realized that Leo Minor had probably made some mistake with the memories, because surely (surely) he had not intended for some random guy to see his deepest vulnerabilities. 

But in that moment, standing in the grass clearing and even though a part of him told him, no screamed at him that he was imposing, he didn’t want to look away. In fact, he wanted to know more, more of Leo Minor and more of his strange family of peacocks, more of the person that lied beneath these rocks. Harry realized that he was falling in love with someone he never met or even seen their face. But knew how much they cared for their family and he wanted to be part of that family with Teddy. He imagined Teddy playing with the peacocks while Minor and him sat on rocking chairs holding hands and watching them. He imagined Minor was so hardworking and ambitious that sometimes he forgot to take a break and relax and Harry could come in and sweep him off his feet to the bed and they would sleep next to each other. He couldn’t wait to use these last 6 vials because he was sure that when he asked for another batch, Minor wouldn’t make the same mistake again. 

~~~~~~~~~~

The fifth dream was simple. When Harry opened his eyes he was sitting behind a table and there were potions books and an empty notebook on it. He watched Minor’s hands write into the notebook and flip the pages of the books. 

After a while of simple observation of the place he decided to read what he was writing all this time. To his surprise amongst all the potion recipes and properties of different plants and herbs just on the little corner of the page he saw something else, a poem. A simple poem with 4 lines.

_ My past, filled with endless lies _

_ sullied my once bright future _

_ Aren’t enough regrets or cries _

_ simply expecting my awaited capture _

It was written so tiny that Harry might’ve read it wrong if he was farsighted instead of nearsighted. 

Harry wondered why Minor was waiting for his capture. Could he be a criminal on the run? But then again once upon a time Sirius was also a criminal on the run, he didn’t want to judge Minor before knowing the full story. And it felt like he did regret his past but it wasn’t enough. Not enough for what Harry didn’t know. Not enough for forgiveness? But it didn’t feel like he was asking forgiveness or even wanted this poem to be found, it felt like it was himself that he couldn’t forgive.

For the rest of the dream he continued to transfer recipes from one book to another, listening to the sound of pen and paper while watching the delicate but sure fingers write into the notebook was calming. 

~~~~~~~~~~

The sixth dream was, how to explain it...what made Harry sure that he had, at least, a crush on Minor. When he opened his eyes he was lying on grass and there was a nice breeze blowing on his hair while the sun was setting far away.

When he gazed around he saw all the other peacocks surrounding him, all relaxed and sitting on the grass. For a few minutes he watched the clouds that passed by before closing his eyes and thinking of going to sleep inside the dream (was that even possible? Harry thought trying and imprisoning himself inside the dream wasn’t worth it) then he heard Minor’s voice again, singing a slow lullaby. 

_ When I’m worried and I can’t sleep _

_ I count my blessings instead of sheep _

_ And I fall asleep counting my blessings  _

_ I think about a nursery and I picture little bird heads _

_ And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds _

_ If you’re worried and you can’t sleep _

_ Just count your blessings instead of sheep _

_ And you’ll fall asleep counting your blessings _

Harry too imagined a little nursery with all the peacocks and Teddy. He imagined what his life could be like while gazing at the now starry night sky.

~~~~~~~~~~

The seventh dream was…eye opening? A nightmare? Scary? Or simply normal? Harry didn’t know how to explain it. All this time, in all of his dreams, Minor had always worn light and long-sleeved shirts with loose and comfortable pants and now, for the first time, he was seeing the man’s arms in this loose white short-sleeved shirt and it wasn’t a pretty sight. Inside of both of his arms were burn scars, skin over skin. It wasn’t the most horrific scar that Harry had ever seen, no it wasn’t, but it reminded Harry of how little he knew of Minor (What other scars did Minor have?). Yes, he knew he was mourning and he also knew that his only family was the peacocks and also that he felt guilty about his past. But that was it. No matter how caring Minor was or how soft he sang, Harry still didn’t know him.

While Harry was going crazy with questions and worry, Minor was simply bathing one of the peacocks (Harry thought it was Apus). The bird was (for some reason Harry couldn’t fathom) was covered in mud and it seemed like bathing it would take quite some time. 

After Apus’ long bath it was now time for the others. The next one on the list was Pard (if Harry remembered correctly) and one by one until the sun finally set all of the birds were squeaky clean. 

~~~~~~~~~~

The eighth and ninth dreams passed by normally and before he knew it he was unto the last dream.

When Harry opened his eyes for the tenth dream, he was decorating a cake with white flowers and cherries.  _ Ah _ , he thought while placing a single candle on the middle.  _ Must be one of the birds’ birthday _ . After taking the cake outside he set it on a small ground table which was surrounded by all of the peacocks (who were holding little flowers between their beaks) and Luna who was surprisingly sitting next to Blaise Zabini. Harry hadn’t seen (or even thought about) Zabini since they had graduated from Hogwarts and even then they hadn’t spoken one word to each other, Harry didn’t know that he was also Luna’s friend now. Before Harry could fathom what was happening the singing started.

_ Bon anniversaire,  _ sang Minor and Blaise _ nos vœux les plus sincères _

_ Que ces quelques fleurs vous apportent le bonheur  _ the peacocks left their flowers on Luna’s lap one by one.

_ Que l'année entière vous soit douce et légère _

_ Et que l'an fini, nous soyons tous réunis _

_ Pour chanter en chœur : "Bon Anniversaire !"  _ Harry didn’t know that both Luna and Zabini knew French.  _ Well _ , he thought,  _ guess you learn new things about your friend even after all these years.  _ Harry couldn’t help but wish for a similar birthday spent with Minor. This is it, he decided, he would meet Minor no matter what.

The next morning he quickly sent Hermione a letter to inform her that he was trying to arrange a meeting with Minor. Now he only had to send a letter to Minor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I looked for edit fic instead of edit chapter but couldn't find it :( and it doesn't show me the old notes while I'm uploading this chapter...let's all just ignore the old notes (like I ignore my 2000 word homework due tomorrow lol as well as countless math homework that I didn't do before) and act like they are not there :)


	5. Chapter 5

_ Mr Leo Minor, _

_ I have finished all of the ten prototype vials you have sent me. If possible I’d like to meet face to face to both thank you once again and take the other set of vials as well as talk about the issue of giving my own memories. Even though the memories I choose may be the most insignificant ones I still wouldn’t feel comfortable to send the via owls. Thank you for your understanding. I will await your preferred set of dates. _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Harry Potter _

Draco had not enjoyed reading this letter in the slightest. It seemed like Potter was dead set on meeting him. That just wouldn’t do. He boxed another set of vials with more of his boring memories with a simple note that apologized about his once again absence for the next 20 days (Oh I’m so sorry Mr Potter but I’m simply sooooooooo busy with all my success and oh well even though I would’ve  _ loved _ to meet you it just isn’t possible in the foreseeable future of hmm 40 years!). 

Oh, how comical the universe could be sometimes...Draco simply had no idea.

~~~~~~~~~~

He could have foreseen this! He could have! If only he didn’t trust Potter and Granger to be  _ decent _ human beings that actually  _ listened _ to people and their wishes! Instead of  _ ignoring _ them and being selfish! Oh, but he could have foreseen this. He knew Potter and how stupidly hard headed he could be. Merlin, had he really learned nothing from going to school with those overly stupid and unnecessarily brave Gryffindors. 

Here’s what happened: He was ambushed...

It wasn’t the full blown, Aurors pointing wands at him kind of ambush, but it was still an ambush. 

He was working in the backyard. Shooing away garden gnomes that tried to steal his carrots for some reason, when he heard the war screams of Vulpecula and Virgo. At first he ignored it as one of their normal plays. But then the voices kept getting louder and louder, as he grew more and more worried. He quickly ran to the front and came face to face with Cam setting both Granger and Potter on fire as Vulpecula and Virgo fanned the flames with their wings while screaming. The others were either hiding or running around. 

Draco’s face became stiff with anger. He knew what this was; an ambush, a trap. 

“Stop.” He said with his voice certain, not too loud but not whispering. “Expelliarmus!” He watched as Granger and Potter’s wands flew to the side, Hydra took them in a flash and ran behind Draco. 

It seemed like both Granger and Potter were finally comprehending what they were seeing as they both yelled, “Malfoy?!” at the same time. “Shut up,” he silenced them. “go inside. I don’t want to talk out here.” 

“Hey, give us our wands back!” shouted Harry.

“I don’t have them Potter. If I did, I certainly would.” He sneered. 

~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn’t on the front page, no. And at the time Harry hadn’t paid any mind to the meaning, to what it meant for Malfoy. Because it was just news, another death amongst the many others. He might have felt sad, he didn’t remember...it was 2, almost 3 years ago...but he had felt something, a little mournful maybe. This was the woman who had saved his life after all. But he had forgotten all about it, until this moment…

“My condolences for your loss.” had said Hermione, after they had sat down on the wooden chairs around the small table inside the cottage. Harry remembered everything from his dreams but seeing it with his own eyes seemed a lot more real. And he had felt stupid...for not understanding why Hermione had said so, before everything crashed into him. 

“Thank you.” had answered Malfoy, but it didn’t seem sincere, it was just for the sake of formality. 

~~~~~~~~~~

It had been a few months after both of their house arrests were finally over. He knew he should’ve gone with her, but she had said that it was alright, that she was just going to get a few things and that she wanted to walk around in the Diagon Alley again, it had been far too long since her last visit...

It was planned, Draco was sure of it. But he had no proof, nothing to show that it was. It was chaos, everything had happened at the same time. One moment, Draco and Luna were talking in the Manor’s large garden while watching the peacocks and the next, everything was on fire. the birds were running around in panic and Draco was trying to put out the fire with all of the water spells he knew, but soon he had realized that none of the spells worked and they had no choice but to evacuate, so he had grabbed a few large trunks filling them with everything in his reach and with their arms filled with trunks and peacocks Luna and Draco had marched off to the Lovegood house. 

But Draco was worried. He knew when his mother saw the state of the Manor she would guess where they had gone and they would soon reunite. But that didn’t happen…the next day Mr Lovegood had barged into the room Draco was staying at with a frantic expression and gave him the Daily Prophet. Right there, on the third page was the abhorrent news of his mother’s attack.  _ Unknown Assailants _ , it had said.  _ Ran away before the aurors could catch them. No one had seen their faces. It was a cold case, and there would be no more investigations.  _ It was planned Draco was sure of it...but maybe, maybe if he had gone with his mother this wouldn’t have happened. Maybe it would have been him. 

Draco didn’t come out of his room for a week. And when he finally did, he only said one thing to Luna, “I want to leave...It doesn’t matter where, I just can’t stay here anymore.” and so Luna had brought him to the little cottage he and his father used to visit,  _ to see rare creatures _ she had said, before she had turned 11 and went to Hogwarts. It had been years since they had last visited it and with the way Quibbler was blowing up, they wouldn’t use it anymore. And thus the little cottage had become Draco and the 10 peacocks’ home.

~~~~~~~~~~

“I would like to ask, to what do I owe this ambush?” Draco asked as he sipped his tea. He hadn’t offered the same courtesy to the other two sitting in front of him.

“This isn’t an ambush! We just wanted to-“ Harry started but was cut off by Malfoy’s scoff.

“To what? Invade a person’s home without their knowledge? Maybe steal a couple of recipes?” He asked, not politely. 

“We are not  _ thieves _ . We just wanted to talk-“ Harry was, once again cut off before he could finish. He was getting more and more heated with Malfoy’s accusations. 

“To talk? About what I wonder? I certainly didn’t give my consent for you to invade my property and attack my peacocks.” Draco sipped his tea.

“They were the ones that attacked us-“ Harry started to shout.

“Because they wanted to protect their home, of course. Wouldn’t you do the same, Savior Potter? It’s certainly sad to see fame get in your head and make you forget your morals.” The sneer on his lips had seemed to become permanent.

“That’s enough Malfoy. Look, we just wanted to talk and you honestly don’t need to be this hard.” said Hermione with her hands crossed over her chest.

“Why not? Like I said, I didn’t consent to the invasion of my home. I didn’t consent to this supposed conversation. So tell me why shouldn’t I be hard? Why should I be nice and hospitable?” asked Draco, 

“You don’t need to be this rude-“ started Harry.

“ _ Rude _ ?! Oh yes, it’s definitely  _ me _ being rude here. Certainly not the  _ ambushers _ . Showing up unannounced to someone else’s home just to force them into talking.” he snarled. “Shouldn’t have accepted your dumb request from the beginning.” 

“Look, Malfoy we won’t force you if you don’t want to talk to us. And we apologize for showing up unannounced.” Hermione threw a warning look at Harry who was going to object. “We could leave immediately if you want us to, just give us our wands back and we’ll go out of your hair.” 

“Hmm, I would certainly like to see you gone. But there are more pressing matters at hand before that.” He flipped his finger and two papers appeared before them. “Sign this binding contract first.”

“A contract? Why?” asked Hermione as she gazed over the paper.

“Because now you know of Leo Minor’s true identity as well as his address. If both of these things get leaked I would either have to move or end up dead long before I get the news. Sign here and you wouldn’t be able to talk, write or sign about my identity and my location.”

“We won’t-“ Harry started but this time it was Hermione that cut him off.

“We will sign it right now and leave.” 

“That would be great.” Draco sipped his tea one more time.

~~~~~~~~~~

The two apparated to the No 12 Grimmauld Place as soon as they got their wands back. It seemed like they had come to an unspoken agreement that they weren’t going to talk about the things they witnessed even between themselves. 

Harry hadn’t fully comprehended what just happened yet. His mind was in shambles, questions flying around his head like the DVD screensaver and it felt like he would only understand what they meant when they hit the corner (which was quite unlikely). Leo Minor, the man he had started to fall in love with, the man that cured his sleepless nights was Draco Malfoy, his childhood enemy, bully and a Death Eater… What did this mean? No, this didn’t change anything about Minor, Malfoy. It was Harry’s problem that he had gone and had a crush on a man he hadn't even seen the face of. A man he knew nothing about… But he did know who it was now. He had a new name and an old face to attach to Leo Minor now. Did this change things? He gazed over at the vials on his desk. Unopened and clear. He needed time to think. Yes, he decided. He would wait until this new batch of potions ended (thankfully Malfoy had sent them before him and Hermione...ambushed him. Yeah, that did sound rough). Now, with the knowledge that Minor was actually Malfoy, he would observe the dreams more carefully. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Draco was panicking. Yes, he had thwarted Granger and Potter’s questions and shooed them away with a small binding contract but anyone who knew of their worth would see that it was the simple basic stuff that just gave you rashes or made you lose all your hair, it wasn’t anywhere near an Unbreakable Vow! But Draco was panicking and he didn’t find it in himself to try and beg the two to “Oh please the great savior! Won’t you sign this poor sinner’s Unbreakable Vow? That will lead to your death if you ever broke it!” no, he definitely couldn't. But he had bought them time. Yes, it would be sudden and the peacocks would complain, but so would Draco so hey! They had another thing in common which they can talk about during the journey! 

He had to pack everything, but first he had to send Blaise a letter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I know I end each chapter with sending a letter...but for my defense I wrote all these as a giant 1 chapter and now I'm trying to divide them because I thought it was unpractical to read one long 10,000 word page...so yeah 
> 
> also "won't you shake this poor sinner's hand?" dun dun dun dun dun dun "are you reaaaady" the back singers: "are you reaaaaady?"
> 
> also also these were all the chapters I have written so far so the next update will be later than these were...I wanted to finish everything before posting these but then I started 2021 with a new brain so I posted the first chapter and then yeah...I am going to write the rest after I finish all my homework so...sorry in advance
> 
> PS: Ambush drinking game! Take a shot everytime you see the word ambush in this chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I hope you guys liked the first chapter :) this is just the beginning but still!


End file.
